Sunday, September 18, 2016

Events held to mark second anniversary of indyref - BBC News

Image copyright PA
Image caption The referendum saw the highest turnout in Scottish electoral history

Events are to be held to mark the second anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum.

Scotland went to the polls on 18 September 2014 after a lengthy referendum campaign, with the pro-union side winning by 55% to 45%.

Pro-independence rallies are to be held in Glasgow and other cities to mark the anniversary of the 2014 vote.

Meanwhile pro-Union supporters are to mark the occasion by calling for talk of a second referendum to be ditched.

The SNP has launched a "new conversation" on independence in the wake of the Brexit vote, but opposition parties have urged them to "focus on the day job" of governing Scotland.

A rally of independence supporters is to be held at Glasgow Green, with planned speakers said to include SNP MP and deputy leadership candidate Tommy Sheppard.

Record turnout

Other events are taking place elsewhere in Glasgow, Oban and Inverness, and a rally is also planned for Edinburgh later in the week.

On 18 September 2014, more than 3.6 million Scots - a record 84.59% of the electorate - turned out to vote on the question "should Scotland be an independent country".

A total of 2,001,926 people voted No, while 1,617,989 voted Yes.

Image caption There have been other marches and rallies in support of independence since the Brexit vote

Most of the major parties have changed leaders since then, with Nicola Sturgeon replacing Alex Salmond as first minister and Theresa May taking over from David Cameron in Downing Street, while there have been UK and Scottish parliamentary elections and a referendum on the EU.

Ms Sturgeon has claimed that the UK Scotland voted to remain part of "no longer exists", arguing that Scots have the right to consider a second poll in light of the EU referendum in June, which saw the majority of Scots who turned out backing Remain, while the UK as a whole voted to leave.

Mr Salmond meanwhile predicted his successor would call a second poll in 2018.

During an interview with Russia Today to mark the anniversary, he said: "I would expect Nicola Sturgeon to fulfil her mandate to keep Scotland within the single market place. I would expect her to give Theresa May the opportunity to embed Scotland within the negotiations to enable that to happen.

"I fully expect, my reading of the situation is, that the UK will not be flexible or wise enough to do that. And therefore I expect there"ll be a Scottish referendum in roughly two years" time."

"Respect the result"

Former Better Together campaigners will also mark the event.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is to lead one of a series of Tory street stalls across Scotland calling for the country to "move forward" instead of focusing on independence.

She said SNP promises to respect the verdict of the referendum had "gone up in smoke", saying Scots "don"t want to go back to years in time to the division we experienced then"

Image caption The Scottish Conservatives have been campaigning against a second independence referendum
Image copyright PA
Image caption Pro-union campaigners have called on Ms Sturgeon to "respect" the result of the 2014 poll

She said: "Using the result of the EU referendum to revive a second referendum isn"t the right course for Scotland - something other pro-independence supporters have acknowledged. I hope Nicola Sturgeon listens to their views this week.

"I respect that she will always support independence. But she needs to respect the fact that the country had its say and chose to stay within the UK. That referendum result needs to be respected."

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the SNP should "renew its focus on the day job".

She said: "Since 2014 the economic arguments for Scotland staying in the UK, the positive benefits we get from pooling and sharing resources, have become stronger.

"With so many challenges facing Scotland"s future it makes no sense to return to the arguments of our past.

"Instead there should be a renewed focus on the day job from the SNP government. We need to see real progress on the bread and butter issues which touch the lives of families across Scotland.

"Scotland"s voice was heard in 2014 and Nicola Sturgeon needs to listen to it."

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37384294

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